Qi Refining Ninth Layer!
Time flies by like a fleeting moment.
In the blink of an eye, three months have quietly passed since that thrilling trip to Black Baleful Intent Peak.
Qi Yun sat cross-legged in the quiet room of his secluded villa, his aura calm and his mind at peace.
Before him, a precious mirror floated silently.
This precious mirror is as clear as a mirror, yet it is neither gold nor jade. Its material is as transparent and clear as glass, and the frame is carved with intricate and ancient cloud patterns.
The mirror does not reflect external objects, but rather contains a hazy, mysterious light within.
It seems to contain a microcosm and Daoist essence of the past, present, and future.
It was the [Three Lives Glazed Treasure Mirror] that Li Chong had obtained!
This mirror is a wondrous treasure that aids in the cultivation of the Divine Soul; it is truly miraculous.
With the light of this mirror, cultivators can clearly see inward, illuminating the location of the Three Hun Souls within their bodies, and meticulously observing every change and fluctuation of the Three Hun Souls.
This allows for a more precise grasp of the mysterious opportunity and flowing energy of the Three Hun Souls uniting to form an invisible Divine Soul.
Over the past three months, Qi Yun has relied on the reflective power of the [Three Lives Glazed Treasure Mirror] and the pure, untamed divine energy continuously provided by the platinum Buddhist beads on his wrist.
The progress of the cultivation of the Three Hun Souls can be described as rapid as a day.
Upon internal observation, one can "see" that the Three Hun Souls deep within his Purple Mansion are no longer the faint specks of light he first sensed.
At this moment, the Embryonic Light, the Vigorous Spirit, and the Dark Essence have grown strong, full, and perfect, each transforming into three orbs of light about the size of a pigeon egg, radiant and round like bright pearls.
The light clusters varied in color.
The Embryonic Light is clear and bright, Vigorous Spirit and invigorating, Dark Essence and tranquil.
Their energies resonated with each other, their radiance shining brightly.
It exudes a vibrant spirituality and powerful soul force.
As the Three Hun Souls grew stronger, Qi Yun clearly felt a faint yet continuous suction force emanating from the depths of his Ancestral Aperture and Sea of Consciousness.
This suction force is not directed at his physical body or True Essence, but rather acts directly on the origin of his soul.
They attempted to guide these three mature and full-bodied soul lights to break free from their permanent positions and move upstream.
Entering the mysterious and unpredictable Ancestral Aperture Sea of Consciousness.
Once the Three Hun Souls successfully enter the Ancestral Aperture, they must undergo final tempering and fusion in that "ocean" of Divine Soul, removing the dross and retaining the essence, to become one.
Ultimately, it coalesces into a [Divine Soul] that transcends the mortal realm, capable of traversing heaven and earth and perceiving the Great Dao!
This is a clear sign that he is about to break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes, a trace of regret flashing deep in his eyes, and sighed softly, "If only that jar of [Soul-Cleansing Elixir] could be obtained as scheduled, with its miraculous effect of cleansing the soul and washing away impurities and distracting thoughts..."
My chances of breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer are now 100% certain, with no further obstacles or risks.
However, this slight regret was fleeting.
He immediately shook his head and chuckled, "Forget it, human greed is insatiable."
A jar of [Soul-Cleansing Elixir] is good, but how can it be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment artifact [Great White Molt] that points directly to the foundation of the Great Dao, and a protective treasure [Gold-Patterned Fire-Warding Mantle] that can increase the chances of success in Foundation Establishment?
This deal looks like a sure-fire way to make a profit.
After his thoughts were clear, Qi Yun's mind calmed down again.
"No rush, make it more stable and solid."
"Divine Soul cultivation is unlike any other; it concerns the very foundation of life and is the most dangerous stage in the Qi Refining Stage."
If the reunification of the Three Hun Souls fails, at best the Divine Soul will be damaged, and the Dao Path will be interrupted; at worst, the soul will be scattered, the body will die, and the path to enlightenment will be extinguished.
That would be utter annihilation, allowing no room for haste or wishful thinking.
He forcefully suppressed the increasingly obvious pulling force emanating from his Ancestral Aperture Sea of Consciousness, temporarily suppressing the urge to break through.
Qi Yun subtly changed the Method Formula in his hands and continued to slowly rotate the platinum prayer beads on his wrist.
As he turned the prayer beads, the gentle yet powerful essence contained within them flowed continuously into his body like a gentle stream.
It was greedily absorbed and fused by those three pearl-like clusters of soul light.
Nourished by this vast amount of divine essence, the Three Hun Souls became increasingly condensed in radiance, increasingly stable in form, and their spiritual foundation was strengthening bit by bit at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.
Another three months have passed quietly in my dedicated practice.
On this day, Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes again.
The moment he opened his eyes, a faint yet pure golden light flashed and disappeared deep within them.
That is a strange phenomenon that naturally emerges when the power of the soul is abundant to a certain degree.
However, his brows furrowed slightly.
His face showed no joy at the impending breakthrough, but rather a hint of solemnity.
"I can't continue to absorb divine essence to strengthen myself," he muttered to himself, glancing down at the platinum Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist.
Originally, there were two round and full beads, but now three of them have become dull and lifeless, their inner charm completely depleted.
"While it's true that the stronger the Three Hun Souls are, the better, there are limits to them."
If one blindly pursues growth, causing the Three Hun Souls to become too powerful, the repulsion between them will also increase. At that time, not only will they be unable to unite smoothly, but the intense conflict may even cause the souls to disintegrate.
If it really comes to that, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to abandon my cultivation of the Dharma.
Instead, he embarked on the path of martial arts body cultivation, which focuses on the cultivation of the physical body and the unity of spirit and flesh.
Thinking of that possibility, Qi Yun couldn't help but click his tongue slightly, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the power of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He felt the almost uncontrollable, vortex-like powerful suction force in his Ancestral Aperture Sea of Consciousness consciousness, as well as the eager throbbing of his Three Hun Souls within his body.
Qi Yun knew that the phase of seclusion and intensive training to solidify his foundation was over.
Next comes the crucial moment of truly breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer and condensing the Divine Soul.
Success or failure hinges on this one battle.
Inside the quiet room, you could hear a pin drop.
Qi Yun sat cross-legged, his mind completely absorbed into his body.
After half a year of accumulation and nurturing, his condition has been adjusted to its peak.
His energy and spirit were full and vibrant, like a fully drawn bowstring, ready to be released.
"It's time."
With a thought, he completely released the suppression on his Ancestral Aperture Sea of Consciousness.
"Boom!"
As if a floodgate had been opened, a powerful and vast suction force surged forth from the Dantian between the eyebrows.
Like an invisible hand, it instantly seized the three clusters of soul light, Embryonic Light, Vigorous Spirit, and Dark Essence deep within the Purple Mansion that were already eager to try!
The Three Hun Souls, drawn together, immediately transformed into three streams of Flowing Light, which surged upwards along a mysterious trajectory, directly piercing the Ancestral Aperture!
At first, everything went more smoothly than expected.
Under the reflection of the Three Lives Glazed Treasure Mirror, the trajectories of the Three Hun Souls were crystal clear, and the fusion of their auras was exceptionally harmonious.
A surge of immense spiritual power coursed through Qi Yun's Ancestral Aperture, making his aura ethereal and profound.
He could sense that the three clusters of soul light were slowly approaching.
The light began to permeate and merge.
A grander, more solid core outline is gradually taking shape.
Qi Refining Ninth Layer, the Divine Soul Realm, is within easy reach.
However, just as the Three Hun Souls were about to completely merge into one.
The nascent form of that newborn [Divine Soul] was already faintly visible at the most crucial moment.
A sudden change has occurred!
Without warning, Qi Yun's heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable sense of unease and disorder welled up from nowhere.
In an instant, all sorts of distracting thoughts, illusions, and delusions erupted like a volcano dormant for millennia, violently assaulting the core of his consciousness:
The dazzling Baoguang in the Black Baleful Intent Peak's treasury shone brightly, and a greedy possessiveness gnawed at the soul like a venomous snake.
The resentful and unwilling look in Chang Qing's eyes before his death, mixed with the mournful Curse of the Divine Silkworm Sect Daoist, echoed in his ears—
Li Hanyan's cold, deep gaze, seemingly capable of seeing through everything, appeared to pierce through the void, coldly watching him—
Even hazy fragments of memories from past lives surfaced; those long-forgotten regrets, fears, and obsessions transformed into inner demons, baring their fangs and claws—
The yearning for Foundation Establishment, the obsession with freedom, the fear of failure—all these emotions are amplified infinitely, weaving together into a chaotic and suffocating giant net!
"Oh no! A demonic invasion!"
Qi Yun felt a sudden alarm bell ringing in his mind, and his brows furrowed.
It was almost over, so why did a demon suddenly invade my mind?
Logically speaking, with the protection of the [Great Wondrous True Gauze] and my divine bloodline, anything could happen, but this inner demon is precisely the one thing that shouldn't have appeared.
Take a deep breath, Qi Yun energy on practicing the [Bright Lamp Method], visualizing a bright lamp, trying to dispel these distracting thoughts and stabilize your mind.
But these inner demons and distracting thoughts came too fiercely and too strangely, as if they did not originate entirely from within themselves, but were amplified and provoked by some external force!
The Three Hun Souls, which were originally in harmony, suddenly became shimmering and their trajectories were disordered under the impact of this unexpected internal storm.
A strong sense of repulsion arose between them!
The nascent [Divine Soul] fluctuated violently, becoming blurry and indistinct, as if it might collapse at any moment.
A fierce storm raged through the entire Ancestral Aperture aperture Sea of Consciousness, with surging waves and a scene of turmoil and uncertainty.
The breakthrough instantly turned everything from smooth sailing into a precarious situation!
Meanwhile, in a secluded place that is cold, empty, and deathly silent.
A blurry figure, shrouded in a wide black robe, sat cross-legged on an altar built of black stone.
forward.
On the altar, there was an oil lamp with a flickering green flame.
At the very center of the altar, a dark yellow talisman was laid out, on which a line of birth dates and times was clearly written in cinnabar.
It was Qi Yun's birth date and time!
The figure in black robes made a strange Law Seals with one hand, while holding a crimson command flag about a foot long in the other.
The command flag was made of an unknown material, its color a dark, blood-red hue, with a ferocious ghost head pattern painted on its surface in an even darker color.
The figure muttered incantations, uttering low, obscure syllables.
It was as if they were communicating with some the Unseen.
As he chanted the incantation, he began to shake the crimson command flag rhythmically.
"Call----"
"Call----"
With each shake, a faint, hair-thin wisp of black mist would peel away from the crimson flag.
The black mist twisted and turned, emitting an almost inaudible shriek, before disappearing into the void before them, following some mysterious causal connection, drifting off to who knows where.
Each time the command flag was waved and the black mist dissipated, the cinnabar characters on the talisman with Qi Yun's birth date and time written on it in the center of the altar would flicker slightly.
The color also seemed to have become a bit darker.
The sudden outburst of inner demons and distracting thoughts within Qi Yun was clearly the work of this person.